Method and apparatus for making window frames



A ril 28, 1970 F. E. KNIPPER 3, 0

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING WINDOW FRAMES Filed Feb. 21, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

68 1) -40 FRANCIS E. KNIPPER.

. ATT'Y.

April 28, 1970 F. E. KNIPPER 3,509,250

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING WINDOW FRAMES Filed Feb. 21, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet z f 7 82 as 3o 4 28' as 90 a6 -14 2 94 6-48 FIG.9

" 48 FIG. IO

VIBRATE ASSEMBLE POUR OR TAMP REMOVE v m m m m INVENTOR. 0 U 0 i U 0 FRANCISEKNIPPER Im BY M 7 United States Patent O 3,509,250 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING WINDOW FRAMES Francis E. Knipper, Hollywood, Fla. (1631 Judie Lane, Lancaster, Pa. 17603) Filed Feb. 21, 1968, Ser. No. 707,102 Int. Cl. B28b 7/02 US. Cl. 264-219 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The method of casting concrete members includes the steps of assembling together two rigid L-shaped forms to provide a U-shaped mold, affixing the forms to each other, damming the mold by placing dams therein spaced apart a predetermined distance lengthwise of the mold, pouring concrete into the mold between the dams and allowing the concrete to solidify to form a molded member and removing the molded member from the mold. The size of molded members may be changed merely by changing the spacing between the backs of the forms and/or changing the spacing between the dams. The molded members may be given a desired configuration by placing an insert having a negative of the desired configuration in the mold prior to pouring the concrete. The dams may be integrated with the inserts. The forms may be affixed together by clipping as will be described. The apparatus includes the L-shaped forms, clipping structure, dams and inserts, all of which may be assembled together to provide a very flexible mold.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION One desirable application of the invention is in the making of ornamental and structural members for window frames to be used in buildings. At the present time, windows having metal sashes are usually plastered or stuccoed into a window opening in a wall, and no ornamental frame is provided. It has been suggested by the present inventor that concrete frames be provided for windows which would give the over all window assembly an attractive appearance, the window and sash being removable from the concrete frame for repair of maintenance purposes. It would be necessary to construct concrete members of different sizes and shapes in order to satisfy different architectural needs from building to building. Thus, it is apparent that a simple and flexible method of molding or casting the concrete members is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The method of the invention, as outlined above, uses L-shaped forms and also dams for use with the forms all of which can be readily adjusted relative to each other to vary the size of concrete members molded therein. Also, inserts having a desired configuration can be put into the mold, and molded members of different configurations can be cast merely by changing the inserts without changing the basic structure of the mold. One of the particular members to be molded is an ornamental frame member having ends at a 45 degree angle to the length of the member so that a frame can be constructed from such members having mitered corners. The molding of such members can be accomplished easily in accordance with the invention by using dams having a surface at a 45 degree angle which cooperate with the insert to provide a mold cavity of the proper configuration. The apparatus includes the L-shaped forms, special brackets on one of the forms and clips cooperating with the brackets to clip the forms together, dams which form the ends of the molded members, and inserts which give the molded members a desired configuration.

3,509,250 Ice Patented AP 1970 Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of making molded members by casting concrete.

Another object of the invention to provide improved mold apparatus for use in casting concrete members.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved molding method and apparatus in which forms and dams are readily adjustable to change the size of the molded members.

A further object of the invention is to provide molding method and apparatus in which forms are assembled in different positions relative to each other by clipping one form to any one of a plurality of brackets provided on the other form.

A further object of the invention is to provide dams and inserts which cooperate to form specially shaped ends and surfaces on molded concrete members.

A further and more particular object of the invention is to form angular ends on molded members having an irregular configuration by the use of angular dams in a molding method.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

On the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded view of L-shaped forms and a clip used in carrying out the method of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the forms after they have been assembled and aflixed together by the clip;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of an insert and dams assembled together and ready to be inserted into the mold;

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view taken from one end of the mold after the inserts and dams of FIGURE 3 have been placed therein;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the complete mold assembly of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view of a concrete member which has been molded or cast in the mold of FIG- URES 4 and 5 FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of an insert having a dam afiixed to one end thereof;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a concrete member which has been molded using the insert and dam of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is an elevational view of the mold member of FIGURE 8 after it has been cut into three pieces to provide two dams having angular surfaces;

FIGURE 10 is a plan view of a complete mold assembly in which the insert of FIGURE 7 and the dams of FIGURE 9 are utilized;

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view taken along line 1111 of FIGURE 10 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 12 is a schematic representation illustrating how the molding may be carried out on a mass production basis.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

As shown on the drawings:

The invention will be described as it is applied to the molding or casting of a concrete frame member 20 (FIG- URE 6), but it will be understood that the method and apparatus can be utilized to mold quite a variety of concrete members, for example, for structural and ornamental purposes in buildings. The concrete member has end surfaces 22 and 24 which are at a 45 degree angle with respect to the length of the member, and also has curved ridges 26 giving it a shape similar to a wooden molding of the type used for trim purposes in buildings. The molding of surfaces 22, 24 and 26 requires some special steps and structure as will be described. The member 20 is specifically designed to be assembled with three other members of the same configuration to form a rectangular frame for a window, the frame having mitered corners.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the forms 28 and 30 and a clip 32 for a mold are shown in exploded relation. Form 28 is a rigid, L-shaped member having a base 34 and a back 36 at right angles to each other. Mounted on the top surface of base 34 near the ends thereof are a plurality of upright studs 38 and 40 which are rectangular and parallel to back 36. In this particular embodiment, the studs 38 are legs of U-shaped brackets 42 and 44 which have their base portions affixed to the form base 34 as by welding.

Form 30 is a rigid, L-shaped member which is shorter than form 28 and dimensioned so that it will fit in the space between studs 38 and 40. Form 30 has a base portion 46 and a back portion 48 at right angles to each other, and the height of back portion 48 is approximately the same as the height of 'back 36 of form 28. Base 46 of form 30 is somewhat narrower than that of form 28 so that the back 48 can be lined up with the innermost stud (farthest to the left) with the base 46 fitting between innermost stud and back 36 of form 28.

Also shown in FIGURE 1 is a clip 32 which is generally U-shaped having two legs 50 and 52. Clip 32 may be resilient so that it can grip the forms when they are assembled together.

Form 28 including the studs 38 and 40, form 30' and clip 32 are all preferably made of metal with forms 28 and 30 being thick enough to be rigid but not so thick as to make them too heavy to manipulate manually.

FIGURE 2 illustrates how forms 28 and 30 and clip 32 are assembled together to provide a U-shaped mold. Only a portion of the mold is shown in FIGURE 2, but the remainder can be readily visualized from FIGURES 1 and 5. To assemble the mold, form 30 is placed in the space between the studs 38 and 40 with the 'base 46 of form 30 overlying base 34 of form 28 and resting thereon. The forms are designed so that the spacing between backs 36 and 48 may be set at any one of several distances. This is accomplished by providing the studs 38 and 40 at different distances from back 48 corresponding to the widths of different standard molding members. Back 48 is lined up with one stud 38 and a corresponding stud 40 as indicated in FIGURE 2 where back 48 is lined up with the second stud from the left. The other end of back 48 could be lined up with the second from the left of the studs 40. Clip 32 is then clipped on to the selected stud 38 and also on to the back 48 of form 30 as shown in FIGURE 2. Another identical clip is clipped on to the selected stud 40 and back 48 at the other end of the form 28. The forms 28 and 30 at this stage form a U-shaped mold of a selected width.

The ends of the mold are then dammed and an insert is put into the mold using the. structure shown in FIG- URE 3. As mentioned previously, the concrete member is to have curved ridges 26. Therefore, an insert 54 is provided having curved longitudinally extending recesses 56. The insert 54 also has a bottomsurface 58' and a back surface 60 at right angles to each other. Insert 54 is affixed to a base 62 and a backing 64 as shown in FIGURE 3. Base 62 extends beyond the side 66 of the insert so as to fill the space between backs 36 and 48 of the form, with the thickness of base 62 being selected to position insert 54 at the proper height in the mold,

and backing 64 has a thickness sutficient to place insert 54 at the proper lateral position. Insert 54, base 62 and backing 64 are preferably made of :wood, but other materials could be used.

In order to form the angled end surfaces 22 and 24 on concrete member 20, dams are placed in the molds at a predetermined distance from each other. In the particular embodiment being described, the dams are integrated with the insert 54. To accomplish this, insert 54 is cut, as with a saw, at a 45 degree angle at the two points where the dams are to be placed. The slot formed by this cutting step extends all the way through insert 54 and also through backing 64, but does not extend through base 62. Dams 68 and 70 are placed in the slots. The dams may be rectangular sheets of metal and they are wide enough and high-enough to fill the space within the U-shaped mold. As shown in FIGURE 3, the dams 68 and 70 are each at a 45 degree angle, and slant in opposite directions.

The insert assembly with the dams therein is placed inside the mold in the manner illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5. The dams are spaced apart a distance desired for the length of the member 20 to be molded, and backs 36 and 48 are spaced a distance desired for-the width of the member to be molded. The-height of the member to be molded, is determined by the height of backs 36 and 48 and dams 68 and 70 and also by the thickness of the base 62 of the insert assembly. The form backs and dams define a cavity generally designated 72 in FIGURE 5.

Next, concrete is poured info the cavity 72 to fill the cavity. The concrete may be vibrated or tamped to settle it, and is then allowed to solidify in the mold. Finally, the molded member 20 is removed from the mold, and this may be facilitated by unclipping the forms 28 and 30 and simply pulling the forms apart to release the molded member.

The method and apparatus which has been described up to this point is capable of being modified in many Ways. For example, the forms 28 and 30 could be affixed to each other by fasteners other than the clips and studs, but the latter structure has proved to be advantageous, partly because of its simplicity. Also, the dams can be made separately from the insert, and in some cases no insert will be used. Even Where the dams are attached to the inserts as in FIGURE 3, the outer ends of the inserts 54 could be completely cut off, and the dams 68 and 70 may be fastened to the intermediate portion 74 of the insert. Of course, for making some concrete members, the dams will be vertical rather than at angles as heretofore illustrated.

FIGURE 4 shows a further step wherein a form 76 is clipped by clip 78 to the outermost one of the studs 38. Thus, a series of forms may 'be assembled and connected together as shown in FIGURE 4.

FIGURES 7-10 illustrate a modification constituting another embodiment of the invention in which dams ofa different type are used. In this embodiment, the forms 28 and 30 and the clips 32 are assembled in the same way as has been illustrated in FIGURES l and 2. Then, an insert 54 like the one illustrated in FIGURE 3 is provided, but slots are not sawed through the insert. Instead, rectangular dams 80 are affixed as by nailing to both ends of the insert 54, only one such darn 80 being shown in FIGURE 7. The insert 54 with the two dams thereon is then put into the mold. Concrete is poured into the cavity formed by the mold sides and the dams, are then vibrated and allowed to solidify. Then a molded concrete member 82 as shown in FIGURE 8 is removed from the mold.

Referring now to FIGURE 9, the. molded member 82 is cut, as with a saw at 45 degrees along oppositely slanting lines 84 and 86 to cut off two concrete dams 88 and 90 respectively having surfaces 92 and 94 each at a 45 degree angle.

As shown in FIGURES and 11, the two darn members 88 and 90 are then placed in the mold on top of insert 54 with the slanting surfaces 92 and 94 facing each other and spaced apart a predetermined distance corresponding to the length of the member to be molded. A parting material is applied to slanting surfaces 92 and 94 so that the concrete to be poured will not stick to the surfaces.

Then, concrete is poured into the cavity 96 formed by backs 36 and 48 and surfaces 92 and 94. The concrete is vibrated or tamped and allowed to solidify, and finally a molded concrete member is removed from the mold as by removing the clips 32 and pulling the forms 28 and 30 apart.

FIGURE 12 illustrates schematically how the method of the invention may be carried out on a production line basis. Pallets 100 are provided which ride on rollers 102. Four stations, 104, 106, 108 and 110 are provided along the row of rollers 120. At station 104, the U-shaped molds 112 are assembled for example, in the manner described in FIGURES 1-5. At station 106, concrete is poured into the molds 112. The pallets 100 with their molds 112 are pushed further along the rollers 102. At station 108, the concrete in the molds 112 is vibrated or tamped to settle it. At station 110, the molds 112 and a pallet 100 are removed from the rollers 102 and set aside until the concrete solidifies. Then the molded members are removed from the molds.

One of the principal advantages of the method and apparatus described above is the ease with which the size of a mold can be changed. All that is necessary is to change the spacing of backs 36 and 48 of the forms, and perhaps change the size of the insert base 62 and backing 64. Also, the configuration of the molded member can be changed by using an insert of a different configuration than the insert 54. The molds can be assembled and handled quite easily. The length of the molded member can be easily changed by changing the distance between the dams 68 and 70 or 88 and 90. Thus, the method and apparatus of the invention provides considerable flexibility in the molding of concrete members.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A method of making molded members by casting concrete comprising the steps of assembling together a first rigid L-shaped form and a second rigid L-shaped form each having a base and a back so that the base of said first form overlies the base of second form and the backs of said forms are upright, parallel to each other and spaced apart a predetermined distance to thereby provide a U-shaped mold, said second form having a plurality of studs at each end thereof spaced at different distances from the back of said second form, affixing said forms to each other by clipping the back of said first form to one of said studs at each end thereof, said first form being shorter than said second form to fit between studs at opposite ends of said second form, damming said mold by placing dams therein at two points spaced apart a predetermined distance lengthwise of said mold with said dams extending transversely and upwardly, pouring concrete into said mold between said dams and said backs and allowing the concrete to solidify to form a molded member, and removing the molded member from the mold.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 and further in cluding the step of placing an insert in said mold before said pouring step with said insert having a configuration for determining a surface configuration of said molded member.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 in which said dams are blocks of concrete previously molded to match the configuration of said insert and having slanting surfaces for defining the ends of said molded member.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 in which said insert has slots therein and said dams are sheets fitting within said slots.

-5. The method as claimed in claim 4 in which said slots and dams extend at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the length of said insert.

6. Apparatus for making molded members by casting concrete including in combination first and second rigid L-shaped forms each having a base and a back adapted to be assembled so that the base of said first form overlies the base of said second form and the backs of said forms are upright, parallel to each other and spaced apart a predetermined distance, the base of said second form having a plurality of studs adjacent each end thereof and spaced at difierent distances from the back of said second form, said first form being shorter than said second form to fit between the groups of studs, means for afiixing said forms together comprising clips for clipping the back of said first form to a selected one of said studs at each end thereof to form a U-shaped mold, an insert for fitment in said mold having a configuration for determining a surface configuration of said molded member, and dams for placement in said mold-to fit with said insert to define the ends of said molded member.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which said insert has slots therein and said dams are sheets fitting in said slots.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which said slots and dams extend at angles of 45 degrees with respect to the length of said insert.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which said dams comprise blocks of concrete previously molded to match the configuration of said insert and having angled surfaces for defining the ends of said molded member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 968,285 8/1910 Streator 249158 X 1,678,266 7/1928 Niestradt 249-157 2,621,388 12/1952 OSullivan et a1. 249-157 X 2,949,656 8/1960 Pleitgen et a1. 249-157 X ROBERT D. BALDWIN, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

